Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Gold Award Spotlight: Destination Pollination

Girl Scout Senior Emma has
earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can
earn in Girl Scouts.

Emma wanted to start a buzz in
her community about the decline in the bee population. With the help of the
Tidewater Beekeeper Association (TBA), she was able to raise awareness for bee
sustainability in Chesapeake through her project, “Destination: Pollination.”

“My project addressed the
decline of the bee population at a local level. The impact was in direct
support of the bees in Chesapeake, Virginia. When bees are supported locally,
it contributes to the overall bee population in the greater bee ecosystem,” she
said.

With the help of over 100
hours of hard work and generous donations from the community, Emma was able to
complete her mission. While working with TBA, Emma created a pollinator garden
for the more than 10 beehives on TBA’s property. The garden serves as a way to
teach people about the importance of bees in the environment and provide easy
access for the bees to pollinate their ecosystem.

In addition to the garden, Emma created a brochure with TBA
to raise awareness, presented to members of her community, made organizational
and community connections, and created an online petition which connected more
than 15,000 social media accounts worldwide to more information about her
project.

“In an effort to address a declining bee
population in my community, the impact reverberated throughout the nation and
the world. By providing pollination opportunities in Chesapeake, it strengthens
the system. This strengthening is two-fold. First, stronger and healthier bees
locally support regional systems, which support the national systems, which
then supports the bee population worldwide. I also connected through the
National Wildlife Federation and was able to get this project certified by
them,” she said.

What We DoWe serve nearly 10,000 girls throughout southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. With the guidance of nearly 5,000 dedicated and trained volunteers, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together.